Just wondering--why a SWB?

[hogrocket]

I'm curious why so many people who own these trucks want to convert them to SWB vehicles. Is it that most owners of these vehicles don't actually still use them for work trucks or is it they just like the look better. I personally like the look of a full size truck, and yes, I still use mine as a work/tow vehicle. I can carry a full sheet of plywood or whatever. Am I in the minority? Just wondering. M

[Brad]

I think the SWB's look sportier if done right and since I rarely actually haul anything bigger than my bicycle I wanted a sportier vehicle without buying another car- just in case I needed to haul something.

[Aarons72s]

Hey I am with hogrocket. I have 2 72 lwb and a 69 lwb trailer and usew them for work. I think show trucks are cool but to me a truck was made to work. I like long beds and those long longhorns too. To me short bed are, as Brad put it, the sport version of our trucks. So i guess it all depends on your particular taste. I do wish the long bed trucks would get a little more attention like new bedsides and steel floors.

[special-K]

Shortbeds make a truck....shorter,more carlike,or sporty.Most guys aren`t still working these trucks.Even when new and used for work,unless you haul an aweful lot,the shortbeds can do the job(with the tailgate down ).Traditionally,shortbeds were the majority and real hauling was done with bigger flatbeds.Pickups were originally "handy",not your full-time workhorse.As time went on that changed.But,affection for the little handy helper stayed.In most big city areas,most wouldn`t be seen in a pickup unless it was to make a living.It was considered lowly to use a truck for personal transportation.But,in areas where folks didn`t give a hoot,needed the handiness,and wasn`t gonna buy a car just to take to church,the pickup became the sole transport.Those are the people the first creature comforts were installed in trucks for.It only got better,and it took the rest of the nation`til these truck became classic to notice.Now,they`re in demand all over.Kinda the same story for El Caminos.

[Bishops Trucks]

I'm in the longbed minority. I'm building a '71 1/2 ton longbed, 500+ H.P. big block, 4-speed on bags truck. Just bought a '68 3/4 ton longbed 4X4 as a daily driver and am going to sell my shorty at the end of June. The shorty is the first one I've had in the '67 to '72 series. It's a nice truck but I have found that I prefer the longbeds. It feels good to be differant.

[70c10]

SWB are bringing more money these days. People like to customize them more.

[stepside454]

This one has been gone over before.
long beds are more useful for utility purposes....kinda like a 4-door car, or station wagon is.
Shortbeds are a little less practical, sure, but are generally more sporty , much like a 2 door car.

[Stocker]

Like others have said, I think it's mainly a sportier look. My LWB has served me well and hauled a helluva lot more than you could with a shortbed. I wouldn't mind having a nice SWB, though...

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by stepside454

This one has been gone over before.

Yes, but the OP is a new member, so we don't mind going over it again...

[Willy Prost]

Another advantage of a shortbed is the tighter turning radius. That could mean something if you live in the city and still have manual steering.

[Lemield]

I have one of each. The SWB is just a nice looking truck IMHO. The longbed C20 is for hauling. If you are going to haul stuff, the longbed is the way to go.

[glock35ipsc]

Well, I didn't sink $15k + into my 68 to haul stuff with, or pull my camper or snowmobiles, or....... I have a "work" truck for that. Hauling is such a vauge term, I don't imagine there are too many folks running around with a bed full of gravel all the time, but most likely tools and plywood and so-forth. I built my truck for show and play, so the SWB look appeals to me more. I still like the LWB trucks, like my 70 4x4.

I would guess that the mix is around 50/50 or so. Those that sink a lot of money into them and that want them for show and to show-off will probably go with a short bed. Work trucks, farm trucks, and drivers usually seem to be long beds.

I like 'em both, but I prefer the SWB look.

[1970 CST Short Wide]

We have one of each and love them both the same

[cheyenne10]

If I remember right production numbers for shortbeds were lower then longbeds? In NW there are way more longbeds to shortbeds. I would guess 20-50 to 1. People in this area bought more basic equiped trucks and used them to haul, hunt, get wood, etc from day 1. They still sell alot of new longbed pickups for the same. With creature comforts available now more people like the optioned trucks over the basic models. Very common back in 67-72 as well as today for many of us to use pickups as daily transportation.

[N2TRUX]

It's personal preference vs function. If your going the custom route, most (not all) people prefer the looks of a lowered short bed. If you want your truck to be used like a truck, then the long bed has more room and rides better.

[matthufham]

i think the older trucks look better as longbeds because it matches the long front fenders. on a new truck, the front fenders are tiny and a long bed would make it look out of proportion. a LWB on a 67-72 just looks better and well proprtioned.

[speedracer]

I like the long low look. The lwb's are like the 60-64 impalas: you could get them with a big block, 2 door sporty, low to the ground, and a mile long!!!

[Ackattack]

I've had my pickup for 9 years. I got it in HS and I couldn't find a short bed, and was happy to find a truck that I could afford. Well I've gone through the process of fixing it up.

I rarely use my truck to haul anything in, and really anything that I haul would fit into a shortbed also. So I'm now going to convert it to a short bed. Cause 95% of my truck use if for cruising around, going to car shows. However, I'm not going to put a nice wood floor in it, because I still plan on using it as a pickup occasionally.

[boundstaffpress]

I'm in the longbed minority. I like the looks, like the hauling capacity, and wouldn't buy a short bed even as a show truck. I also don't understand shortening a frame to make it a SWB. I don't understand wanting a step side either. Maybe I'm just foolish, but I like having a work truck.

[82c10]

the shortbeds just look better

[Ron]

I converted my 69 to a short bed becouse it seemed like a logical way to make a $8,000 truck a $16,000 truck. A short bed is the hot ticket.

I just sold a 67 LWB for 10K, had it been a SWB in the same condition I would have gotten 18K.

I have had many 67-72's and most have been long beds. They are great work trucks and are nice for towing also.

Decide what you want and go for it.

[thecatseye66]

I think it is a visual/design thing. I think when someone says "they just look better" there is more to it that they don't often really understand.

The cab and nose on a shortbed are closer in length to the bed, so I think the mind's eye sees a more balanced vehicle. It's kind of a subconscious acknowledgement that car lovers kind of allow the vehicle to be seen as a stylish vehicle like a car rather than a work vehicle. ESPECIALLY if the truck's ride height is down at a cars level.

You have to consider the vehicle as a whole and how the parts fit together visually. I'd love to have a shortbed, but just finding one is hard enough in this area.

[Green Machine]

Here in farm country the LWB's are all over the place yet. I can't drive 10 miles on any road without seeing 1 or 2 parked behind a shed. They may not run, but many are still drivers too, they are just all over the place yet. It's an availability thing here, the shorty's are nice but harder to find around here.

[Bishops Trucks]

All you shorty fans need to read my signiture. Any takers? I will get info and pics when I recover from my surgery. PM me if interested.

[phlegm]

looks, plus All I need is 3 scoops of mulch so it does fine for me.